In a motor vehicle, the means for controlling of the steering system comprise a steering wheel and a steering column comprising a steering shaft integral with the steering wheel. The steering gear housing comprises a pinion gear meshing with a rack arranged along a steering cross shaft connected on either side to the steering wheels by a set of steering tie-rods, with the translation of the cross shaft driving the rotation of the steering wheels of the motor vehicle.
The steering shaft of the steering column is connected to the pinion of the steering gear housing by an intermediate transmission shaft. The steering column and the intermediate transmission shaft on the one hand as well as the intermediate transmission shaft and the steering gearbox on the other hand are then respectively connected by a device for connecting comprising a clamping collar, commonly referred to as jaw or universal joint.
The clamping collar conventionally comprises per se two arms arranged relative to one another in such a way as to delimit a cavity to receive an end portion of one of the shafts to be coupled with the other shaft. The clamping arms each comprise a hole for the passage of a clamping screw intended to clamp the clamping arms around the end portion of the shaft according to a set torque.
In order to provide a sufficient clamping of the screw and as such apply sufficient tension in the connection sought, i.e. the connection between the steering column and the intermediate shaft and/or the connection between the intermediate shaft and the steering gearbox, and as such allow for a resistance in terms of dynamic endurance for the connection, it is required that the clamping collar be sufficiently engaged on the shaft concerned by the coupling.
However, in certain circumstances, it occurs that the clamping collar is not sufficiently engaged on the shaft, with the end portion of the shaft not reaching the holes for the passage of the jaw. As the clamping screw is able to be arranged through the holes for passage, the coupling is apparently carried out. However, as the shaft is not sufficiently engaged in the clamping collar, the maintaining of the latter on the shaft is not ensured.
In order prevent a poor engagement or insufficient engagement of the clamping collar on a shaft, it is provided in conventional connection devices to match the collar with additional parts that do not authorise the passage of the clamping screw in the holes for the passage of the collar as long as the latter is not fully engaged. By way of example, patent application EP0128813 can be mentioned. Here, the additional part implemented in this document is an elastic member consisting of a curved blade. The blade is arranged on the jaw of the universal joint in such a way that the curved end of the blade is arranged through holes for the passage of the clamping screw. The setting in place of the clamping screw is then prevented as long as no shaft is introduced into the bore of the jaw.
The adding of an additional part gives rise however to problems of encumbrance and cost.
It is also common to prevent a poor engagement of the collar on a shaft to proceed with a machining of the chamfer type or to create a counterbore centered on the shaft.
The additional machining does however have for consequence to reduce the contact zones between the shaft and the jaw, which is detrimental for the resistance in terms of dynamic endurance in a steering system of the transmission gearbox/intermediate transmission shaft and intermediate transmission shaft/steering column connection.